YONKERS, N.Y. – Dozens of Yonkers families will have a full Thanksgiving Day table thanks to city officials and local businesses.

Mayor Mike Spano and several City Council members spent Tuesday morning handing out bags full of donated turkeys and all the fixings to 180 needy families at the Nepperhan Community Center. The yellow shopping bags overflowed with frozen gobblers, instant potatoes, canned vegetables and even apple pie - everything needed to make a Thanksgiving Day meal.

“This is a holiday of giving,” Spano told the families. “This is a small token of what we as a city can do to give. Hopefully, it allows you to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.”

Standing behind folding tables, politicians and business leaders grabbed the pre-made bags, sharing a season's greeting and the occasional photo with residents as they picked up their free meal.

The gratefully families, many hit hard by slow economic times, were pre-selected by local community-based organizations to participate in the drive.

Working in partnership with the Nepperhan Community Center and the city, grocery store ShopRite donated all the trimmings while Fidelis Care donated the frozen turkeys.

“We know right now the nation is in a recession and it’s hard to get basic things,” said Jim Bostic, executive director of the Nepperhan Community Center. “We wanted to provide food that our residents can benefit from.”

After securing her turkey and trimmings, Yonkers resident Janette Demitroff said she was planning to have a big dinner Thanksgiving Day with her children and extended family. Without Tuesday's drive, Deitroff said she may not have been able to fill the table Thursday.

“I am so grateful,” she said. “We are going to have a beautiful holiday.”